A Malham Cove Engagement Shoot: Big Skies on the Limestone Pavement
Up on the limestone pavement above Malham Cove, the sky was doing everything at once: bright sun, big white clouds and dark grey rolling in behind. In the middle of it all stood Helen and Adam, forehead to forehead, with the wind catching her hair.
Malham Cove: a limestone landmark in the Yorkshire Dales
Malham Cove is a huge curved limestone cliff about a kilometre north of Malham village, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It’s around 80 metres high and more than 300 metres across, carved by a waterfall of glacial meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age, more than 12,000 years ago. Peregrine falcons have nested on its ledges.
On top is a wide limestone pavement, a maze of cracked grey blocks with views right down Malhamdale. You reach it by about 400 stone steps up the west side, which are part of the Pennine Way. Harry Potter fans may recognise it too: the Cove appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
A long walk and a lot of talking
Each year our work takes us to incredible new places, and we’re travelling further afield than we ever expected. But it’s hard to top the landscapes on our own doorstep, and sometimes it takes a great day out with an amazing couple to remind us.
We met Helen and Adam at the start of the walk up to the Cove and were soon deep in conversation. Still on a high from our America trip earlier in the year, we talked about travel, the places we’d all loved and the ones still on our lists. It’s a fair walk to the top, and it was a while before we even started taking photos.
For us, the time not spent shooting is the most valuable of all. Especially with a couple like Helen and Adam, when an hour feels like five minutes.
Close moments on the cliff top
Their shoot is the perfect example of why we think it’s so important to get to know the people we photograph. We loved seeing them relax in front of the cameras. It let us get close enough for the moments we love most: foreheads together, a kiss in the wind, and Adam laughing as he pulled Helen into a hug.
If you’d asked them beforehand whether they’d feel comfortable being that intimate, on top of a cliff some 260 feet high with a camera a few feet away, they would definitely have said no.
We also stepped right back to show the scale of the place. The two of them sat on a ledge of limestone blocks under a deep blue sky, with a helicopter buzzing overhead. They stood arm in arm looking out over the patchwork of green fields and drystone walls. And they looked tiny at the end of a tumbling stone wall under a stormy sky.
More than the view
Looking back over the images on the backs of our cameras reminded us just how incredible the Yorkshire scenery is. But as we drove away from Malham, we weren’t talking about the landscape. We could have been anywhere and still loved the shoot, and our time getting to know Helen and Adam.
Why we love an engagement shoot at Malham Cove
If you’re thinking about Malham for your engagement photos, here’s our honest advice:
- The walk is part of it. The steps up the side are a proper climb, so leave plenty of time and enjoy the chat on the way up.
- Wear sensible shoes. The pavement is uneven, with gaps between the limestone blocks, so walking boots beat heels.
- Bring a warm layer. Sun, cloud and wind can all arrive in one afternoon up there, which is exactly what makes the skies so dramatic.
- The view does the work. The top of the Cove looks right down Malhamdale, so even the simplest hug has a whole landscape behind it.
Planning your own engagement shoot in the Dales?
Malham is one of the most dramatic places we know for pre-wedding photos. See more of our Yorkshire wedding photography, or get in touch to plan your shoot and check your wedding date.
